Harry Potter and the Plight of Pretense
by shane.sandberg
Summary: Harry Potter defeated the greatest Dark Wizard of all time and now everybody wants him. His attention, his time, his money, his fame... Could he survive the guilt that flooded through his very being? Harry just wants to be left alone and wants to be able to fulfill his promise to take care of Teddy Lupin. Will he be able to? Or will the obstacles standing in his way destroy him?
1. A New Beginning

**Harry Potter and the Plight of Pretense**

**Chapter 1: A New Beginning**

Harry Potter sprung to a sitting position, sweat dripping down his exhausted, battered and bruised body. The last twenty-four hours had seemed like the longest, most arduous of Harry's life. The defeat of Voldemort came at a very large cost, one that he didn't know how to deal with. The deaths of Fred, Remus and Tonks were on the forefront of his mind as he remembered walking towards the forest and being surround by destruction and the stench of blood splattered across the battlefield.

Harry shook his head and climbed out of his four-poser bed, sturdily planting his feet on the ground and reaching for his glasses off of the nightstand. Harry looked around with cleared vision and saw Ron and Hermione curled up together on Ron's old bed. He was happy for his two best friends, he had been waiting for this moment for years. Harry had always known that they belonged together. He quietly slipped past them and made his way to the lavatory.

Harry gently took off his clothes and looked at himself in the mirror. Harry noticed the new scar where he had been hit with the killing curse merely hours before, then he noticed the scrapes and bruises running up and down his arms and legs. He still couldn't believe that he was alive. Was it fair that he was alive when so many had died? Could he survive the guilt that flooded through his very being? Who was he? What was he? What would happen to him once everybody discovered the truth? Could he give Ginny what she deserves and did he even want to anymore?

Harry walked into the shower and felt the warm water dripping down his naked body, looking down at the floor he saw all of the dirt and grime being washed away and he realized that the only thing that he was absolutely sure of was that he NEEDED to be the godfather that he never had… He was going to take care of Teddy! Harry hung his head as sobs escaped his throat, tears started rolling down his cheeks and desperation wracked his being. How would he deal with the pressure of once again being the Boy Who Lived?

Harry slowly got dressed, careful to avoid his new cuts and bruises, and readied himself from the on-slaughter of questions that he knew that he was about to face. He walked out of the bathroom and saw Hermione sitting the edge of Ron's bed as he approached her Harry nodded his head and muttered a quiet greeting, "Good morning 'Mione." "Harry!" Hermione jumped off the edge of the bed and enveloped Harry into an enormous hug. "We're alive!" she exclaimed. "You're alive… What happened out there Harry? One minute you were dead in Hagrid's arms, the next you were in a duel to the death with You-Know-Who…"

"Damn Hermione! He was just a man, use his name!" Hermione stared at Harry after his disruption and she heard the fumbling of blankets being thrown off as Ron muttered, "What's with all the noise mate?" Harry looked at Ron and turned back to Hermione before simply stating, "We need to discuss what we are going to say… and who we are going to allow to hear our story."

The Golden Trio sat in a circle, each sitting on a different bed facing one another as Hermione took the lead, "We should create a list of people that we feel deserve to hear our story… and of course, what we are going to tell them. Also, we need to go over what we are going to tell the press whenever the conference is announced."

"I think that we should let Kinsley and McGonagall decide what we tell the press," chimed in Harry, "also, we should create a list of people of whom we are intending on being our audience. Hermione, would you do us the honor?" "Only because nobody can read either of your writing," was her reply.

Ron cleared his throat, "First off, I think that we need to have my family present, Hagrid, Kinsley, McGonagall, and the remaining members of the Order of Phoenix in attendance. Then, I think we should include Neville, Ginny, Luna and the rest of Dumbledore's Army…"

"I think that we should also include the rest of the Hogwarts Professors… Is there anyone else that either of you would like to include," asked Harry.

Hermione's voice was deathly quiet as a hoarse whisper came out of her pursed lips, "I need to tell my parents, but there will be time for that later." Ron and Harry exchanged a look that they both knew meant, don't say a word…

Harry stood up, stretched and motioned for the other two to do the same, "It's time to go face the music." The trio began descending the staircase, passing through the Common Room to a bout of cheers, out the portrait hole and continued to make their way to the Great Hall. As Harry walked in, his gaze passed throughout the Great Hall and his eyes fell on a subdued group of redheads all huddled together, next to them sat a woman with dark hair, holding whom he could only assume was Teddy Lupin, his godson. As the trio neared the group Harry's eyes me the woman's and he was absorbed into them. He could see the depth of emotions swimming in her eyes, the desperation and the same feeling of having lost oneself, although her face showed no signs of emotion. Her eyes never left his.

Ron walked up to his mother and embraced her sobbing form. All that could be understood in what Molly Weasley was saying were bits and pieces of phrases, "Fred," "My darling son," "Why," "Too soon," "A parent should never have to bury their child," as her heartbreaking sobs continued to permeate across the Great Hall. The Weasley's absorbed into themselves and Ron refused to release Hermione's hand and pulled her right along with him. Harry watched as the family that he had grown to love as his own collapsed into the depths of their despair associated with losing someone so dear to them.

Andromeda Tonks watched Harry Potter closely as the interaction with the Weasley's took place. As Harry started to become an outside member of the Weasley clan, their eyes met once again. Harry walked purposefully towards Andromeda and the bundle that she held tightly in her arms. Andromeda opened her mouth to speak to the boy in front of her. No, she corrected herself, the young man in front of her but no words came out of her mouth. Should she hate him for the loss of her family? Should she fear that he would take away her dear Teddy? Thought after painful thought raced through her head. She knew that it was illogical to be mad at Harry for her losses but she just couldn't help herself, her grief over the loss of her family had made her extremely withdrawn from others and skeptical of their motives if they spoke to her. If she lost Teddy too, she couldn't bear to think about what would have become of her.

Harry stared at Andromeda before stammering out, "Hello Mrs. Tonks, my name is Harry Potter. I am so very sorry for your loss. Remus and Tonks mean the world to me, I can't stand losing them, I feel responsible for Teddy's loss." He wiped tears from his eyes as he continued, "I wasn't sure if Remus and Tonks mentioned to you that they asked me to be Teddy's godfather… But, I just want to let you know that I will always be here for Teddy and if either of you ever need anything, please do not hesitate to tell me, I will make sure that you are taken care of."

Andromeda gave Harry a curious look and on the verge of breaking into tears said, "You're not going to take my grandson from me! I don't know what I will do if I lose him. I won't let you take him!" she shouted.

The accusatory sound in her voice was apparent and Harry picked his next words very carefully, "Mrs. Tonks, I meant no offense and there was no hidden meaning, I have no agenda or will to take Teddy from you. I just needed to tell you that I am and will always be here to help and I mean it. I grew up without my parents and I would never wish that on anyone. I loved his parents and I made a promise to them. Please, let me keep my promise. Let me help," Harry pleaded.

Andromeda looked up at Harry's face and gave a solemn nod in response as fresh tears rolled down her face. Harry felt a light tapping on his shoulder and he quickly turned around, pointing his wand into the face of Professor McGonagall, he quickly muttered an apology and was nervous as to the reasoning behind the interruption. Harry swiftly moved to give the sleeping Teddy a kiss on the forehead and gave Andromeda a very brief and gentle smile before turning and following Professor McGonagall out of the Great Hall and up the stone staircase.

McGonagall walked at a very brisk pace and Harry was having a difficult time keeping up with her, "What is this about Professor?" he asked. She responded with a stiff, "Not here," in a very final tone. The walk up to the new headmistress's office went surprisingly quickly and as Harry walked into the room he took a seat opposite McGonagall and realized that Ron and Hermione were already seated on the right side of him, still holding each other's hand.

Ron and Hermione maintained their tightly clasped hand holding as if they were afraid that if they let go, they would lose one another forever. Professor McGonagall cleared her throat before saying, "First, I want to say thank you on behalf of the entire Wizarding Community!" The Trio looked up at her speechless. She continued, "You have done the Magical Community a great service in getting rid of Voldemort and I wish to be the first to convey my gratitude. Having gotten that out of the way, I wish to inform you that the interim Minister would like to speak with you about this feat… and I am rather curious as well as to what the three of you have been up to recently." A smile lit up her wrinkled face then just as suddenly, it had disappeared.

Harry thought about what Minerva had said carefully before responding, "Who is the new interim Minister?" As if Minerva knew this would be his response, she nodded and out of the shadows stepped a tall man that the Trio knew rather well, Kingsley Shacklebolt made his way to Minerva's desk and looked at the Trio, "That would be me…"


	2. The Hunt for the Horcruxes

**Chapter 2: The Hunt for the Horcruxes**

An assembly was taking place in the Great Hall and the participants were sitting oddly quiet in a semi-circular fashion facing three chairs that were placed on a small dais, which made them more prominent than any of the other seats placed. You could hear a few muffled whispers here and there but everyone was waiting for "The Golden Trio" and as the Great Hall doors opened, the Hall fell eerily silent.

After the meeting with Professor McGonagall and Minister Shacklebolt the list of people that would be attending the gathering had grown a little larger than Harry, Hermione and Ron had originally planned. Sitting amongst the crowd were the Hogwarts Professors, the Weasley's, the remaining Order of the Phoenix and the members of Dumbledore's Army.

Ginny Weasley was sitting in between her mother and Charlie curious and nervous to hear about the plight of the Trio the previous year. Would she still see them (mainly Harry) in the same light? Ginny knew that at one point she had loved Harry Potter and she thought that she still did… But would she love him after this? The arduous journey undertaken by the Trio was enough to make grown witches and wizards fear for their lives, would she understand what they had went through? Could she go back to dating Harry after everything that they had both been through?

The slamming of the doors and footsteps were the only thing that could be heard permeating the Great Hall. The Trio quickly took their places and faced the crowd of onlookers. Hermione stood and addressed the assembly as one, "You all know why we are here today. You have all agreed to keep the details of this discussion amongst only the people in this room, everything that we are about to disclose to you is highly confidential. So, we ask that you keep all questions or comments for after we have finished. Thank you!"

Harry stood in the newly abandoned place at the head of the dais and closed his eyes. When he opened them he opened with a question. "How many of you know what a horcrux is?" There were a few gasps throughout the room but it was clear that most of the people in the meeting had no idea what he was talking about. Harry looked back at Hermione and Ron, shrugged his shoulders and turned back around.

"A horcrux is very dark magic where you rip your soul into two separate pieces and then implant a piece of your soul into an object which basically, in essence allows you to cheat death by surviving even if your body dies." As he surveyed the crowd he could see that some of the people in attendance looked rather nauseated.

"Dumbledore started teaching me everything that he could about Voldemort and his past, who he was and most importantly, how he became Lord Voldemort. This all started in my 6th year, we had private sessions dedicated to understanding Tom Riddle and Dumbledore imparted his wisdom to me and he told me everything that he believed to be true… And in the end, we, Hermione, Ron and I discovered that it was indeed accurate. Voldemort created 7 horcruxes."

Harry detailed his adventures with Dumbledore leading up to the end of his 6th year at Hogwarts. As Harry finished with Dumbledore being killed by Snape, Ron stood up and took over the story. Ron talked about Dumbledore's funeral, Bill and Fleur's wedding, the escape, the Ministry Break-In and how he eventually left Harry and Hermione alone in the woods.

Hermione tapped Ron on the shoulder indicating that she would take over and explained to the group about how she and Harry had gone to Godric's Hollow to see Harry's parents and how they had planned to search for any sign that Dumbledore may have left behind that would have worked as a clue as to finding the next horcrux. She told them about being invited into Bathilda's house, how Harry was attacked by Nagini, and how they narrowly escaped with their lives.

As Hermione broke out into tears, Ron enveloped her in his strong and inviting arms, leading her to her chair. Harry walked up and continued on with the trials and tribulations of attempting to discover the location of another horcrux. He then told them the story of how he had seen the doe on a snowy night and followed it to a pond in the forest, how Ron had come and rescued him, and how Ron had ultimately destroyed the locket.

Harry mustered up the remaining courage from his drained body and talked about being captured by the Snatchers, being brought to Malfoy Manor, everything that happened including rescuing Luna, Mr. Ollivander and the Goblin. He described his and Ron's anguish at the sound of Hermione being tortured and how they had been rescued by Dobby the house elf.

Footsteps approached and Harry turned and went back to his seat. He could hear Hermione talking but he wasn't really listening, he was exhausted. He caught snippets of her voice specifying the deal that they had made with the Goblin, breaking in to Gringotts, escaping on the back of a dragon and discovering the last location of the horcruxes that they had discovered.

She continued talking about how they had returned to Hogwarts and were rescued by Aberforth who gave them a way into the school, Ariana's passageway. She talked about Harry leaving to find the diadem of Ravenclaw while her and Ron thought of how to destroy Hufflepuff's cup, how they went into the Chamber of Secrets to retrieve a basilisks fang and the ultimate destruction of the next horcrux.

Everyone in the crowd could tell that the Trio were both mentally and physically drained but they were so intrigued by what they were hearing that no one mustered up the courage to have them stop and continue at another time. Harry started filling them in on finding Ravenclaw's diadem and his conversation with the Grey Lady, discovering that Voldemort had hid the diadem in the Room of Requirement and his passage throughout the castle to tell Hermione and Ron.

He continued with finding the diadem and being attacked by Goyle who set Fiendfyre and how they had saved Draco Malfoy from a sure death as they escaped and the diadem was destroyed, devoured by the Fiendfyre. Then Harry explained telling Neville that if he had the chance to kill Voldemort's snake Nagini at all costs because it was imperative to their mission.

Harry then approached the topic that he knew he would have to talk about but it was so private, personal and in a small way intimate that he really just didn't want to talk about it. He closed his eyes and meticulously explained every step of his arduous journey into the Forbidden Forest, using the Stone of Resurrection and walking to his doom with his parents and dearest friends.

Harry told them about how he died, waking up and conversing with his mentor Dumbledore and his decision to return to this world to finish what had been started. He talked about Narcissa Malfoy lying to Voldemort, saving his life.

He spoke about being carried back by Hagrid and pretending to be dead while Voldemort boasted about his defeat. He detailed coming back from the dead, and his final duel with Voldemort. When he finished, he slowly backed away from the dais and returned to his seat, letting the onlookers absorb the tremendous amount of details that had just been presented to them.

After about ten minutes or so, once everybody had absorbed the information, Harry, Hermione and Ron all returned to the front of the dais and announced that they would each take a couple of questions from the crowd. "How the hell did you all survive?" screamed an immensely irate Mrs. Weasley.

Ron and Harry looked at each other then turned together and said simply, "Hermione."

"I thought that you said that Voldemort managed to make 7 horcruxes… you only told us that you managed to destroy 4," said McGonagall.

Harry looked directly at her as he spoke, willing her to understand his pain. "The first horcrux that was destroyed was Tom Riddle's diary in my second year. The second was Gaunt's ring which was destroyed by Dumbledore. The third was Slytherin's locket, the fourth was Hufflepuff's cup, the fifth was Ravenclaw's diadem, the sixth was the snake Nagini, and lastly, I was the final horcrux." A gasp went through the crowd.

"How do you know that Snape was on our side all along?" asked Percy.

"Snape gave me his memories, which were extremely personal, and it helped lead to the direct downfall of Voldemort. He was a hero and shall be remembered as such," Harry let out with an angry breath.

"Why did you leave them in the woods? Why were you such a coward?" Every face turned to hear the bitterness in Ginny's voice. "How could you do that to them Ron?"

Ron gulped, he knew that this question would be coming and he gave as truthful of an answer as he could. "Slytherin's locket fed off of our despair. Every day when we were no closer to destroying it, it fed off my fear and pervaded these negative thoughts through my head, day in and day out. I allowed it to get to me. I allowed it to let me believe things that I knew weren't real because I am insecure. I left because I thought that they didn't need me and that I wasn't important. But, I did come back and that is what is important. They have both forgiven me so please, don't make this into a bigger issue than it already is."

Hermione gave Ron a hug and said, "I think that this is enough for now. It was a very traumatic experience for all of us and we all need to deal with it in our own way. When we are ready to talk about this again, we will but please don't ask us any more questions about it until we tell you that we are ready. Professor McGonagall, Minister Shackelbolt can we speak with you both alone please?"

Everyone else in attendance took the hint and all you could hear was the scraping of chairs on the floor of the Great Hall as everyone stood up to leave. The Golden Trio followed McGonagall and Minister Shacklebolt up to the Headmistresses office where they decided on what would be allowed to be released to the press and what should remain confidential.

Professor McGonagall looked at the three of them with pity and honor in her eyes, "I want to once again thank you three for everything that you have done for each and every one of us. The Minister and I will discuss everything and we will write up a transcript of what can be discussed at the press meeting. Go get some rest, we could all use some!"

The Trio nodded at her and took their leave making their way back up to Gryffindor Tower to get some well needed rest.


	3. Decisions

**Chapter 3: Decisions**

It had been three days since the downfall of Voldemort and although a lot of people were rejoicing, Harry Potter was not among them. Harry sat alone in a class room thinking to himself, "What right do people have to rejoice and be happy when there are so many that died?" Harry shook his head and worked on clearing his head but it was something that just wasn't going to happen.

Faces flashed through his mind, Remus, Tonks, Fred, Lavender and so many others just wouldn't leave. Harry didn't know what to do, it was driving him crazy. Harry knew that he was going to have to do something about this, he was going to have to talk to someone, but who? He couldn't talk to Ron and Hermione, they were permanently attached at the hip now-a-days. He wouldn't talk to Ginny, he had been avoiding her since the assembly and so far he'd been doing a pretty good job of it.

So, since he felt like he couldn't talk to anybody he just sat in his own misery. Thinking about the dead and remembering them was really the only think that was keeping him sane which was a terrible sign, so terrible in fact that even Harry noticed it. It was easy really to be left alone, especially in the castle. The only people that would look for him were all mourning over the death of Fred Weasley.

Harry sat and did his best to think about the future, but the only way to know one's future is to accept the past and he was going to need a lot of time to do that. Harry knew that Ginny would talk to him soon, he knew that having put their relationship on hiatus before his arduous departure the previous year complicated things and he really did care for her. But, was it enough? Did he love her?

Thoughts flew unbidden through his head, memories of the times that he had spent with her and the Weasley's. Thoughts of times that he was alone with her and what it made him feel. Harry sat reaching into the depth of his very soul looking for an answer and for the first time in years, he knew exactly what needed to be done. Ginny needed time to grieve over the loss of her brother and they both needed to heal from their wound inflicted during the previous year.

"Now was not the time for them to be together," he thought. "I promised Ron that I would stay away from her, I don't know who I am or what I want to be, I really didn't think that I would live this long to be honest. I can't be with anybody until I know myself and learn to love the person that I am and it is not fair to ask her to wait for me anymore."

There was a gentle knock at the door, it opened, and Hermione's voice drifted in, "Harry are you okay? We are all worried about you." She walked into the room, gave him a gentle hug and sat in an empty desk adjacent to him before continuing, "I think about what we could have done differently every day and realistically, I know that it is going to be hard to hear this but we couldn't have done anything different. We need to accept that we accomplished what we did and that without the sacrifices that were made, none of us would be here today."

Harry wiped a tear from his eye, stood up and wrapped Hermione in a hug, "Thank you Hermione that is exactly what I needed to hear. I honestly don't know what I am going to do now. The fight surrounding Voldemort has been my entire life. I thought I was going to die, I need to figure out who I am and what I want to do with my life. I need clarity and I need to live as normally as possible to understand who I am, what I can accomplish and if I can ever invite another person into my life to share it. You are my best friend and I love you like a sister, I am happy for you and I will do anything that I can to help you find your parents."

"First we need to get through this ensemble of funerals, then we can talk about finding my parents, okay Harry?" Hermione took his hand and led him out of the classroom and down towards the Great Hall, "But currently, you need to eat something. Nobody has seen you eat in days and they're all starting to ask questions about the "Famous Harry Potter.""

Harry grunted in response to her stereotypical reference and shrugged his shoulders letting him lead her down to the last place where he actually wanted to be.

Hermione led him to the table where all of the Weasley's were sitting and plopped down next to Ron, indicating the open seat on her left for Harry to sit. Harry looked around at the Weasley's and couldn't help but feel responsible that in some small way it was his fault that Fred had died. His eyes glazed over and gave off the impression of someone who had been lost in thought, before Mrs. Weasley interrupted his thoughts.

"Harry dear, you need to eat something! You're far too skinny," she said. All of the Weasley's turned to look at Harry, all except for George. George was wrapped in his sister's embrace and his face was so red from crying that it was difficult to tell where his face ended and his hair began. Ginny smiled at Harry then turned back to attend to her brother.

Harry finished eating and indicated to Bill that he would like to talk to him. Bill nodded, kissed Fleur on the cheek, and followed Harry out of the Great Hall and up to Gryffindor Tower. When they finally made it upstairs, Harry asked Bill how everyone was managing and if there is anything that he can do to help.

"We are all doing as well as can be expected, I guess," said Bill. "George hasn't talked since that night and is glued to Ginny but we are hoping that soon he will break out of his reverie and start being the George that we all know and love. But, we both know that that's not why you asked me up here Harry."

"You're right as always," Harry said. "Have you been to Gringott's yet?"

"Yes, once. The goblins are furious that you managed to escape on the back of one of their trained dragons, I would avoid going in there any time soon if I were you…" Bill gave Harry a solemn look.

"I was hoping that you could talk to them for me… I know how angry they are, would it be possible to set up a meeting with the Head of Gringott's so that I can explain and try to repair the damage that I have done?"

"I will see what I can do Harry. Security is a little tighter now since you escaped," Bill responded laughing.

"Thank you Bill, I owe you one."

* * *

><p>Sitting at a desk in the library was one of the last places that you would expect to see Harry Potter, yet there he was. Quill in hand, Harry sat composing a letter to Mrs. Tonks.<p>

_Mrs. Tonks,_

_I hope that you and Teddy are doing well. I am having a difficult time here but I guess that is to be expected after everything that has just happened. I was wondering if I could meet with you so that I can see Teddy in the next couple of days. He is absolutely adorable and I miss him already. Would it be possible to arrange something so that I can come see him? I hope that we can speak and become closer, I would love to be around Teddy as he continues growing up. Maybe you could teach me to take care of him so that I can watch him when you need to do errands?_

_ Very Respectfully,_

_ Harry Potter_

Harry took the letter up to the Owlery and tied it tightly to one of the school owls legs. He hoped that he would be able to reach her and see Teddy. Right now it was the only thing in his life that he was really looking forward to. Harry slowly walked back across the grounds and took in the sight before his eyes. The Battle of Hogwarts was expansive and there was so much damage that was done to the school. Here and there, Harry could see areas of the school that were being fixed and improved.

A set of eyes followed Harry as he walked back towards the front doors of the school. Somehow, in some way, she was going to make him pay for the loss that she had suffered. "Harry Potter, this war isn't over yet…" She muttered before quickly picking up her pace and disapperating outside the school gates.

* * *

><p>Ginny Weasley needed to talk to him. She needed to know how he felt and if he felt the same way about her that she still felt about him. Ginny had been asking Hermione countless times to ask Harry about what he was going to do and the next step that he was going to take. Since she still didn't have a response, Ginny did the only thing that she could do. She waited.<p>

Harry walked through the portrait hole and discovered the room void with one exception. Ginny Weasley sat in an overstuffed armchair next to a dwindling fire. She didn't speak, she didn't need too. Her eyes said everything.

Harry approached her and sat in the chair next to her. He didn't know what to say, or if he should say anything. He took a deep breath and decided that it was time.

"I'm glad to see that you're not ignoring me anymore Mr. Potter," Ginny said crossly.

"Ginny, I needed time to figure out a couple of things. I wasn't ignoring you on purpose, I just needed time." He responded.

"Well… You've had time. You've had all year as a matter of fact. Am I still an innocent little girl that can't take care of herself and isn't important enough to bring with you on your adventures?" she spat.

"I never said that. You were so important to me that I did everything that I could to help you succeed in having a normal life. I loved you for a time Ginny. You have always been important to me. You always will be. But, right now, we both have a lot of things that we need to focus on first. We both need to heal, there are so many important people that have died in our lives, and shouldn't we mourn them? Shouldn't we attempt to figure out the who's, what's and why's of our own lives before we decide to try and make something work when we're not ready?"

"Ginny," he continued, "I spent my entire life thinking that I was going to die. Now, I have this life to live and I have no idea who I am, I don't know what I want to do with my life. I don't know where I want to go and what I want to see. All that I know is that I made a promise to Remus and Tonks to take care of little Teddy and I am so sorry but right now for the foreseeable future that is all that I am going to be capable of doing. I know that this hurts and you have every right to be mad but we both need time and one day you will realize this. You deserve a life of substance, a life of consistency. I can't offer you that. I can't even offer myself that right now. I hope that you understand. I am so sorry."

Tears started flowing out of Ginny's eyes as Harry got up and walked away. Deep down, she knew that he was right but right now she was pissed. She decided that she was never going to be good enough in his eyes and she was never going to let him hurt her again.

* * *

><p>Andromeda was surprised to see the owl when she sat down to make breakfast the next morning. The house that she had lived in for so long was basically turning into a ruin. The deatheaters had come calling for her husband and had decided to destroy anything in their path. The house was habitable but just barely and without anyone there to fix it, it would soon be condemned.<p>

She opened the letter and began to read,

_Mrs. Tonks,_

_I hope that you and Teddy are doing well. I am having a difficult time here but I guess that is to be expected after everything that has just happened. I was wondering if I could meet with you so that I can see Teddy in the next couple of days. He is absolutely adorable and I miss him already. Would it be possible to arrange something so that I can come see him? I hope that we can speak and become closer, I would love to be around Teddy as he continues growing up. Maybe you could teach me to take care of him so that I can watch him when you need to do errands?_

_ Very Respectfully,_

_ Harry Potter_

Andromeda hung her head and cried. She could never allow Harry to come here, the house should be condemned! How could she survive in a place like this much longer? How could she properly take care of Teddy? Even his basic needs were barely being met, she was going to have to make a decision sooner or later. She could continue on this destructive path that would destroy not only her life but Teddy's as well or she could talk to Harry and ask him for help.

She sat weeping for hours and when she could hear Teddy's cries she decided on what she was going to do. She would have to swallow her pride. Andromeda got up and walked to Teddy's room and picked up the crying infant, whispering to the child, "It is all going to be okay, I promise."

As Teddy sat playing on the living room floor, Andromeda picked up a quill and started drafting a response to Harry.

_Harry, _

_It was a surprise hearing from you so soon after our last meeting. Teddy is doing quite well, I don't think that it has quite sunk in yet that both of his parents are never coming back. I am glad that you wrote and want to see him, he has taken quite a liking to you. I can show you how to properly take care of Teddy, I am sure that a break every now and then will be a well needed distraction from everything that has happened. I have a couple of things that I would like to talk to you about but I would be much happier to discuss them in person. A letter just doesn't represent the emotions and sincerity required to portray adequate thanks for everything that you've done. We can meet you up at Hogwarts on Sunday if that is suitable. Please let me know as soon as possible so that it can be arranged._

_ Respectfully,_

_ Andromeda_

Andromeda attached the letter onto her own owl and away it went. Once it flew out the window did she realize how needy it possibly sounded and she hated that it could portray her in that light. "I guess I will just have to wait for his response and see if he caught that," she thought.


	4. Inheritance

**Chapter 4: Inheritance**

_Harry, _

_It was a surprise hearing from you so soon after our last meeting. Teddy is doing quite well, I don't think that it has quite sunk in yet that both of his parents are never coming back. I am glad that you wrote and want to see him, he has taken quite a liking to you. I can show you how to properly take care of Teddy, I am sure that a break every now and then will be a well needed distraction from everything that has happened. I have a couple of things that I would like to talk to you about but I would be much happier to discuss them in person. A letter just doesn't represent the emotions and sincerity required to portray adequate thanks for everything that you've done. We can meet you up at Hogwarts on Sunday if that is suitable. Please let me know as soon as possible so that it can be arranged._

_ Respectfully,_

_ Andromeda_

_Mr. Potter,_

_Your presence is requested at Gringott's Bank on Friday at 9:00 a.m. please be promptly available to be brought to your meeting with Head Financier Xenrevar Barrequistos._

_ Gringott's Bank_

Harry sat and reread both letters through again. Friday at 9 a.m. and Sunday. He was going to have to talk with McGonagall and see if it was okay that Mrs. Tonks and Teddy would be coming to visit him over the weekend. Harry was looking forward to spending some time with Teddy, he was so young and growing so fast, there was so much that he was missing out on by being away from him for this long.

It had been a while since Harry had been around other people. It seems like Ginny had told her family about what had happened and most of them seemed intent on avoiding him. Currently, it was alright with him it just proved that he made the right decision. He decided to talk to Arthur and Molly about it later and see if he could iron out any confusion that may have taken place.

Harry meandered down the staircases to the Headmistresses Office and stood staring at the gargoyle who stood guarding the entrance. "Password?" Its voice was terrifyingly high pitched and Harry wondered what had happened to it. "I don't know the password but I need to speak to Headmistress McGonagall right away," said Harry.

"No Password, no entrance!"

"Potter, I see that my gargoyle is giving you a hard time… Perhaps if you used the phrase, _Horendur Yaxileaf_ you would be able to gain entrance so we don't have to stand out here?" said McGonagall who was somehow standing right behind him.

"Professor, I didn't see you standing there!" Harry stuttered.

"Obviously, you do realize that you're not the only person who knows their way around Hogwarts? Right?" she said.

Harry just shook his head in amazement and muttered the phrase, _Horendur Yaxileaf_ and the gargoyle sprang to life. He walked up the stairs and into her oval sized office before sitting in a stuffed arm chair.

"I doubt that you came all the way down here to mutter phrases and check on how I am doing," McGonagall spoke, "Is there something that I can help you with?"

"I was wondering if I would be allowed to have Mrs. Tonks and Teddy visit me here on Sunday." Harry said quietly. "I also need permission to leave to go to Gringotts on Friday, I have matters to discuss with the Goblins."

"Harry, you're an adult now. You don't need my permission to come and go. Just remember that it is still dangerous outside these wall so make sure that you are properly prepared. Also, Mrs. Tonks and Teddy would be great guests this weekend, maybe we could have them stay in Gryffindor Tower for the night?"

"Thank you Professor!" Harry said smiling at her, "you just made my day! I will write a letter to Mrs. Tonks right away and see if that would be acceptable circumstances."

Harry leapt to his feet and ran out of her office, through the hallways, up the staircases and into his room grabbing parchment and a quill so that he could write his response to Mrs. Tonks.

_ Mrs. Tonks,_

_I just finished talking to Headmistress McGonagall and she said that she would be delighted to have yourself and little Teddy join us on Sunday. She also made the suggestion that maybe the two of you would like to spend the night in Gryffindor Tower so we could spend some more time together. If this is acceptable, please let me know and I will make sure that all of the necessary requirements are set up for you. I look forward to seeing the two of you!_

_ Very Respectfully,_

_ Harry_

* * *

><p>Harry spent his day wandering from classroom to classroom to avoid as many people as he could. He still wasn't used to everybody stopping him everywhere he went, it was rather obnoxious to be honest. He was glad that they appreciated what he did but couldn't they just leave him alone? Was that so much to ask?<p>

His stomach started grumbling and he remembered that he still hasn't been eating regularly. Avoiding people was rather hard work he decided. Harry descended from his sanctuary and entered the Great Hall hoping that it was late enough that it would be relatively empty.

Bill looked up from his plate and saw Harry approaching. Bill smiled and gestured for him to come sit next to him. "I talked to the Goblins for you and although they were mad, the seemed to be happy that you want to deal with them directly. They are taking it as a sign of respect that you requested this honor. I just want to warn you, you need to be careful what you say and do when you are there, I always say, never trust a goblin!"

"Is there any way that I could convince you to come with me? You know a great deal about banking and about goblins, it would be extremely helpful to have somebody that understands what is going on and can keep me from making a fool of myself," said Harry.

"I think I can arrange to be there. Just don't tell Ginny, she's rather mad at you at the moment… What did you do anyway?"

"I told her the truth. I don't think that right now is the right time for us to be together. We both have so much to do, we need to grieve and learn how to live without fear of Voldemort. We have too much healing to do before we decide anything that could influence the rest of our lives."

"Harry, speaking for the family, we appreciate it. She'll come around, just give her time and she will see that you were right," Bill replied. "I will meet you at Gringott's Friday at 9 a.m., hopefully this meeting goes well…"

* * *

><p>Harry walked at a brisk pace towards Gringott's Bank it was a little after 8:30 a.m. and Harry definitely did not want to be late. This was one of the biggest moments of his life. What was he going to be left with after paying for the damages? Was he going to be broke? How would he look after Teddy?<p>

He climbed the stairs and opened the front doors to be gruffly greeted by a security guard and Bill Weasley. The guard spoke first, "follow me please." Harry and Bill walked through the bank and it seemed like every set of goblin eyes was transfixed on Harry… They were NOT happy with him!

"Please have a seat, Xenrevar will be with you shortly," the guard said before he walked over and resumed his post at the other end of the hallway.

"Nervous?" asked Bill.

"Can you tell?" said Harry worriedly.

"Maybe if you stopped pacing so much, I think that you're wearing out the floor," Bill joked.

Just then a voice was heard, "Come in please." Harry and Bill slowly approached the office door that had just opened and Harry greeted the Head Goblin and thanked him for meeting with him so soon.

"Mr. Potter," Xenrevar started, "you have asked for this meeting and we have made it available. What exactly would you like to discuss?"

"First, I would like to apologize profusely for what happened a couple of days ago. It was the only way that I could stop Voldemort but that is no excuse for destroying part of your bank. I would like to rectify the harm that I have caused. Would this be possible? Could we come to an agreement as to what I can pay to take care of this debt?"

Xenrevar stared at Harry long and hard before responding, "Some goblins call for your blood you know… Others are not as cruel. I am sure that we can come to some type of agreement that is acceptable to both parties involved. First, in order to come to an agreement, we have to find out how much you are worth. There is a test that helps us discover what is legally by goblin rights yours. Are you willing to submit to this test?"

"Yes."

Xenrevar nodded and took out an ancient looking quill. "This will hurt but only for a minute. Once you are done writing, it heals your hand automatically, there will be no lasting damage. I need you to write the following word for word." He slipped over a piece of parchment to Harry along with the quill.

Harry looked at Bill, making sure that he was making the right decision. Bill nodded back at him but said nothing. Harry picked up the quill and started copying the parchment that Xenrevar had passed over the table to him.

_I Harry James Potter wish to discover my true inheritance and upon discovery intend to pay all debts to the Goblin Nation here within for the destruction of bank property and the loss of a trained dragon. When all debts are settled, I will have full access to all of my vaults and will once again be seen as a friend of the Goblin Nation._

_ Harry James Potter_

As Harry was writing, it appeared that the quill was run off of blood, his blood to be correct. Harry shook his hand as he passed over the parchment to Xenrevar, as quickly as the pain came, it was gone just like he was told it would be.

Harry looked across at Xenrevar and was studying him curiously. Xenrevar was not moving, he just sat still and watched the parchment. Harry was confused as to why he was staring at the parchment, after all, all that he did was copy what he was told he had to. After about 5 minutes of sitting wondering what the Xenrevar could possibly be looking at that was so interesting, Xenrevar looked up with a shocked expression on his face.

"What?" Harry asked.

Xenrevar slowly slid the parchment across the table to Bill who looked it over, and simply said, "Damn!"

Gauging Bill's reaction, Harry wasn't sure if he should be happy or extremely worried. Harry just kept looking between the two hoping that one of them would tell him what was going on without him having to ask. Finally, Bill looked at Harry and said, "Harry, I think that you are one of the wealthiest people in all of Europe… I didn't know you had this kind of money. You have money, properties, business investments… You should really get an accountant to look over all of this stuff."

Harry sat dumbfounded. He knew that his vault had a lot of money in it but one of the wealthiest people in Europe? There had to be a mistake…

"How can I be so rich if I didn't even know that I had any of it?" Harry asked. "Also, how much do I owe the Goblin Nation for my debt?"

Xenrevar took the parchment back from Bill and looked it over once again. "It appears that some of this inheritance was from your parents, some was the wealth that was left to you by Sirius Black and it appears that by defeating Voldemort in battle, you have also inherited all of his possessions as well. As for the debt, I am sure that we could come to an agreement."

Harry looked across the table, "Xenrevar, I don't want any of Voldemort's possessions. I don't want his property or his money. Would it be possible for you to sell all of his possessions and his property and take any proceeds from these things and use it to reimburse the bank for my debt?"

"I think that is a suitable idea, Xenrevar, what do you think?" asked Bill.

"It is possible, I would have to go through everything to see what is from whom and so forth but that is an acceptable arrangement for the bank. So, we have come to a decision then, yes? The bank will receive all assets that were previously Voldemort, minus the amount of 1,000,000,000 galleons."

"This leaves you with over 4,000,000,000 galleons, three properties and all possessions owned by the Potter and the Black families," said Bill.

"Would it be possible to use some of the money to set up accounts for other people or transfer it into their vaults?" asked Harry.

Xenrevar looked at Harry with a curious expression, "Yes, it is possible. Just name the person and the amount, it will be wrote down on a parchment in front of me and I will go over it with you before it is done."

"Hermione Granger and Ronald Weasley 500,000 galleons each; Arthur and Molly Weasley 250,000 galleons; Bill and Fleur Weasley, Charlie Weasley, Percy Weasley, George Weasley and Ginny Weasley 100,000 galleons each; Andromeda Tonks and Teddy Lupin 500,000 galleons each. Also, I would like to donate money to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for repairs to the school in the amount of 1,000,000,000 galleons and I would like to donate or establish a charity for families that were hurt by Voldemort in the amount of 1,000,000 galleons. Is this possible?"

Xenrevar looked down at his parchment in front of him:

Transfer:

_Hermione Granger – 500,000 galleons_

_ Ronald Weasley – 500,000 galleons_

_ Arthur and Molly Weasley – 250,000 galleons_

_ Bill and Fleur Weasley – 100,000 galleons_

_ Charlie Weasley – 100,000 galleons_

_ Percy Weasley – 100,000 galleons _

_ George Weasley – 100,000 galleons_

_ Ginny Weasley – 100,000 galleons_

_ Andromeda Tonks – 500,000 galleons _

_ Teddy Lupin – 500,000 galleons _

Donations:

_Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry – 1,000,000,000 galleons _

_ Wizards in Need Trust-Fund – 1,000,000 galleons_

Total Amount to be deducted from Account:

_1,003,750,000 galleons_

Balance:

_4,000,000,000 galleons_

_-1,003,750,000 galleons_

_**2,996,250,000 galleons**_

"Harry, you know that my family will never accept this generous gift," said Bill.

"You're all my family too and I can do whatever I want with it. You all deserve something nice especially after what you've done for the Wizarding World. Take it. Enjoy yourselves!"

"Is there anything else that I can do for you Mr. Potter?" asked Xenrevar.

"I am actually in the market for a house. Do you know of any Victorian houses or available land within 100 or so miles of Hogwarts or London?" asked Harry.

"Let me contact our Realtor and bring him in to the meeting, is that acceptable?"

"Yes, thank you very much Xenrevar," said Harry.

Roughly 10 minutes later a much younger goblin appeared carrying a folder in his hands. "Mr. Potter, I was told that you were interested in looking at either land or Victorian properties both here in London and on the outskirts of Hogwarts, is this correct?"

"Yes, that is exactly what I am looking for," Harry replied.

"Here are the properties that matched your search there are 10 Victorian houses for sale in London, some are on the outskirts, and there are 3 for sale within 100 miles of Hogwarts School. Please take a look and choose which ones you like the best and let me know."

Harry looked up and asked the Realtor, "Can I take these listings with me so I can think about it and bring them back in the morning?"

"Of course, Mr. Potter. Have a great day and I will see you tomorrow morning!" said the goblin.

Harry and Bill walked out of the bank talking about Harry's generous donations and about how they were going to tell the Weasley's that they were all now independently wealthy. Bill wasn't sure what the reactions would be but he knew he would find out soon…


	5. Foundations

**Chapter 5: Foundations**

Harry sat sifting through the documents that he had received from Gringott's merely hours before. He had always grown up poor, that is until he came to Hogwarts but once he found out that he was rich it really didn't make him feel any better. It kind of made him feel guilty. Harry never had a place to call his own, yes he had inherited Grimmauld Place from Sirius but that wasn't home.

Document by document was scrutinized by Harry as he was deciding what he was going to do with everything he had just inherited. It was getting rather late and darkness was now creeping in through the window, making it rather difficult to ascertain what was written on the documents. Harry decided that he would focus on buying a house and picked up the 13 estates that were given to him by the Gringott's Realtor.

No, he thought to himself as he immediately passed over the first 4 estates, they were all wrong. As he picked up the 5th estate he could tell that it was something that would complement his needs for his new living arrangements, it was a large blue Victorian home located on the outskirts of Hogsmeade.

Looking at the house, Harry realized that it was a little rundown but it had once been spectacular and with a little bit of hard work and possibly some remodeling he knew that he could spend the rest of his life living here. The house had blue siding and a porch that had a foundation of stone with a multitude of windows of every shape and size. There were woods surrounding the property and it came with 30 acres of land which Harry decided he could do a lot with. Maybe he could put in a pool and his own Quidditch pitch he thought…

The property was exactly what he was looking for. He still had 8 more estates to look at before making any final decisions but he knew deep down that he was going to buy this estate.

Harry looked at the next 6 properties and instantly decided that they were not for him. They were monstrous and far too luxurious for his liking. He wanted a home that he could be proud of, not one to prove that he was extremely rich, it wasn't in him to brag, he just wanted to be comfortable. Harry was finally down to the last 2 properties to examine.

The first was decent, it looked a little too lavish for his liking and he didn't like the architecture that was used so he slid this estate over to the no pile. The very last property seemed inviting to Harry, he liked everything about this property. The house didn't seem imposing, it seemed to give off a welcoming aura and he loved the structural integrity. The estate was located on the outskirts of London and with the proper protective spells, he thought that it would be a spectacular home.

Harry set aside the two properties that he liked the most and smiled. Harry was happy that he could finally make some decisions in his life, he had something to look forward too, something to focus on and something to achieve for himself. Harry was going to create his foundation. Harry was going to buy himself two houses and establish a home for himself and hopefully for Teddy as well.

* * *

><p>The next morning, Harry woke extremely early. He was excited to finally be able to lay the foundation of his life, and in order to do that he needed to go back to Gringott's.<p>

Harry had been meticulously planning his escape from society for quite some time. Harry knew that the only way to move forward was for him to come to terms with everything that had happened and find an acceptance and understanding of who he was and the person that he wished to become. The only place where Harry was able to move around freely was Hogwarts and he knew deep down that he couldn't stay here forever.

The grounds were rather chilly as Harry made his way down past the gates to disapperate. He hugged his rugged black cloak to his figure attempting to block out the cold before disapperating and appearing at the doors to Gringott's.

He opened the door and was immediately intercepted by a mean looking goblin that for some reason reminded him a little bit of Mad Eye Moody, "Follow me Mr. Potter," he croaked.

Harry stared at him before saying, "Where are you taking me precisely?"

"Your presence has been requested by Xenrevar, he has a couple other matters to discuss with you that had been overlooked in your meeting yesterday."

"Lead on," said Harry.

Harry was lead once again through the corridors of the bank and up a vast multitude of staircases before once again being told to take a seat outside of Xenrevar's office. Harry stretched and then took a seat wondering to himself what could have possibly been overlooked.

"Come in Harry, we have much to discuss together," wafted out Xenrevar's hoarse voice.

Carefully making his way into Xenrevar's office, Harry swallowed in his surroundings awed at the beauty that was fitted to the walls. Paintings and decorative masks lined the walls along with sculptures that tailored the room perfectly, Harry sat across the desk from Xenrevar once again.

Xenrevar passed a folder across the table to Harry. Harry reached down and opened the folder and saw a handful of documents but he didn't really know what they all meant. He gave Xenrevar a questioning look and said, "What are these exactly?"

"The set of documents on the left side of the folder are the transactions that you had us set up yesterday, the paperwork details either the transfer of the funds or the setting up of the accounts in the names for those people and foundations that you desired to donate to. The set of documents on the right are a little more complicated to explain…"

"The first set of document outlines your inheritance of two seats to the Wizengamot, one to represent the house Potter and one to represent the house of Black. The second set describes a full inventory of everything in your vaults, itemized in great depth and details how we had to switch your vaults to a higher security area to protect your assets. The third set pronounces all of the investments that have been made and into which companies from the Potter family and the Black family. Lastly, we have found some ancient documents in your family's vaults that we thought you would be quite interested in reading for yourself. I'm not going to spoil something that will so prominently affect you."

"The last matter at hand is the appointment that you have with the Realtor this morning, am I correct?" finished Xenrevar.

"Yes," Harry replied. "I am quite interested in two properties and would love to take a look at them today if possible."

"I will send for Quixtal and tell him that you are ready for him. He is the best Realtor that Gringott's has to offer, be sure to let us know how you feel about his service," said Xenrevar.

A couple of minutes later, Harry heard the door open to the office and in walked the Realtor from the day before. "I heard that you found a couple of properties that you found suitable to your needs," Quixtal commented.

"Yes, I found an estate on the edge of London and one on the outskirts of Hogsmeade that seem perfect for what I am looking for. I also wanted to check and see that IF I buy a property is there a way to get protection wards placed onto these properties?" Harry stated.

"Let me look at the properties that you have picked out, first we will go and take a tour of the estate and then we will cover any costs associated with the buying of the property and extra security precautions for the property. Is that acceptable?"

Harry nodded his consent as he passed over the folder containing the estate papers. "The two that I like are sitting on the top."

"Yes, I see! Both excellent choices!" Quixtal murmured.

"Well, off we go Harry. Please follow me and I will give you the coordinates to the first estate. I will travel through the Floo network and greet you at the door. The first estate that we will visit is the one in London." Quixtal said as he passed Harry coordinates for the first location.

Harry walked out of Gringott's and apparated as soon as he descended the stairs leading away from the bank.

* * *

><p>Harry opened his eyes and found himself in front of one of the most spectacular houses that he had ever laid his eyes on. It was extravagant yet simplistic in its architecture and nothing about it was off-putting. He hoped that the inside was just as nice!<p>

"I see you made it," Quixtal's voice drifted out to him as he started climbing the stairs onto the porch. "Let's start off with a tour of the house and see what you think, follow me please."

Quixtal lead Harry into the sitting room of the house and it was large and elegant, the house was void of furniture as the previous owner's had moved already but Harry could see the potential. They continued on and Harry looked into a ½ bathroom on the lower level along with the dining room and the adjacent kitchen, three small bedrooms and plenty of storage space.

They then went down into the basement where there was a laundry room, a game room, two more bedrooms and two rooms that were previously used as offices. Harry was awed by how beautiful the house was and as he thought about it, he could definitely see himself living in a place like this. No more cupboard under the stairs for him!

He climbed the stairs back to the main level and climbed some more stairs up to the final level of the home. Harry followed Quixtal with even more peaked interest than on the lower levels. They walked through 3 more bedrooms, each having an adjoining bathroom attached and walk-in closets. Then they entered the Master Suite. Harry's jaw dropped.

The room was huge. It had to be as big as his dormitory at Hogwarts and just as spectacular although it was modernized. There was also an adjoining bathroom that had a hot tub and a bathtub that resembled the one in the Prefect's bathroom at Hogwarts. Harry felt as if he was in wonderland. There were so many ideas floating through his head of how he could make this gorgeous estate a true home and he was pretty sure that he was going to.

Harry followed Quixtal down the stairs and out onto the front porch before receiving another set of coordinates. "See you there," Harry said excitedly.

* * *

><p>Harry arrived on the outskirts of a large field and in the distance he could see the village of Hogsmeade. He smiled and deep inside, he knew that he was home. Harry started walking down the drive wondering why he had been given the coordinates at the end of the driveway, it was so much easier to appear at the doorway he thought to himself.<p>

Halfway up the drive, Harry discovered that he couldn't get any closer. Ah, he thought to himself, this property must already have wards in place. That's why Quixtal gave me the coordinates that he did. Just at that moment, he could see a glimmer surrounding the area he was looking at and he knew that the wards must have been adjusted so that he could enter.

"Sorry about that, I had to adjust the settings on the wards so that you could enter. The previous owner liked his privacy and not very many people even know that this property exists," said Quixtal who appeared to be quite out of breath.

Harry quickened his pace to catch up to Quixtal who although giving off the appearance of being out of breath he was rather spry in his step. As they approached the entrance and the house came into perspective, Harry fell in love with the property. He loved the appearance, he loved how inviting it felt, and he loved the stone mixed in with the wood and the abundance of windows. He was going to buy this house. He was sure of it.

The duo continued up the stairs onto the porch leading into the entryway. Harry was amazed at the intricacies portrayed and the development of two such different building materials brought together to form such a spectacular eyesight. Harry followed Qixtal into the entrance hall and noticed some slight differences from the other estate that they had just visited, not that he minded of course.

The main floor had a hallway that walked you through the entire floor. On the left was a bathroom, then a kitchen with an adjoining dining room and on the right was a closet and a bedroom. The hallway continued until you came out at the back of the house where the living room was located.

The basement had 4 bedrooms, two on the left and two on the right leading into a room that felt to Harry like a den. There was a fireplace and a comfortable feeling that embraced him upon descending the stairs.

The second story of the house had a bathroom on the left, a child sized bedroom on the left after the bathroom then a spectacular office space. On the right, there were 3 more bedrooms and another, smaller office which then lead to the Master Suite. Harry realized that the Master Suite greatly resembled the previous estates and had the same layout and the adjoining bathroom.

Quixtal looked at Harry and said, "Shall we go back to Gringott's and discuss options for the estates?"

Harry nodded, dumbfounded that he had been able to find such extraordinary estates at such short notice.

Harry and Quixtal sat across from each other in Quixtal's small office discussing the options for both estates and the pros and cons of each property. Then they discussed the placing of Wards to keep the house unplottable, unlocatable and as heavily guarded as possible. Lastly, they discussed the furnishings of the estates and how Harry would like them each to be set to match his tastes.

Quixtal wrote down the figures on two separate pieces of paper before slowly slipping them to Harry. Harry picked them up and looked at the figures, 1,200,000 galleons for the estate on the outskirts of London and 1,800,000 galleons for the estate on the outskirts of Hogsmeade. A little shudder went through Harry's spine as he looked at the numbers, adding them to realize that if he wanted both that it would be costing him 3,000,000 galleons…

Harry had spent his entire life being poor, now he could afford to live comfortably and he needed a way to escape from society, at least for a little while. There were still a lot of things that Harry needed to deal with and he needed time.

"I want to make some stipulations to our agreement." Harry said, "I want to buy both properties but if anyone asks, we were unable to find anything that was suitable for my needs. I don't want anyone to know where these estates are located unless if I give them the locations myself. I also want the Fidelius Charm added to each property and I will be the secret keeper for both properties. For adding these stipulations, I am willing to add another 250,000 galleons. Do you find this acceptable?"

"Yes," Quixtal answered. "It might be a little difficult but you are making it worth our while. When would you like the properties to be made move-in available?"

"Preferably as soon as possible," Harry said as he signed all of the required documents that he was handed. "I need to get out of the public's eye for a while, after the funerals I need to escape." Harry thanked Quixtal for all of his hard work and asked that if any other documentation became available that required his signature for these purchases to please let him know. Then, he turned and walked out the door.


	6. Future Fixations

**Chapter 6:** **Future Fixations  
><strong>

Andromeda sat staring out of the window, unseeing what was outside. She was lost in her thoughts. Thoughts of her life haunted her even now; she had a very rough upbringing as a child and leaving to marry a muggle was just unacceptable, she was disowned by her family and now all that she had to show for disobeying was Teddy. Not that having Teddy was a bad thing, but everyone that she had known, loved and had complete faith in were now gone and she was all alone.

A single tear escaped from her right eye and try as she might, she could escape this feeling that was eating her inside. Abandonment, betrayal and condemnation were the only things that she could feel anymore. Abandonment by her family, her husband and her only daughter. Betrayal by her parents and relatives for disowning her. Condemnation flowing freely off of her remaining relative's lips.

Andromeda was still a Black deep down. She knew that portraying any sign of weakness could give an enemy the advantage and right now, the world was her enemy. At least so it seemed.

She stood up and stretched, Teddy had been sleeping for a little over an hour now and if she had any chance of attempting to catch up on her sleep, she decided that she had better follow his lead. Andromeda slowly climbed the stairs, if Teddy heard the creaking of the floorboards under her feet he would wake up and she would never get any rest.

Andromeda appeared to be almost gliding as she passed through the small hallway and opened the door to her cold and lonely room. It once, long ago, gave her great joy to be in this room… But, after all that had happened it seemed to haunt her. Andromeda walked over to her dresser and chose a nice nightgown that was a little faded from having kept it so long, threw it onto the corner of the bed and started to undress.

She paid very close attention to how her body was changing as she aged and as a woman that was approaching 50, she had to admit that she still looked spectacular. Her light brown hair fell to the middle of her back and her face was still wrinkle free, her eyes were soft and comforting. She was still in pretty decent shape and was well able to hold her own in a fight and maintain control of her mind after being tortured for information about Harry Potter's whereabouts before the Battle of Hogwarts.

Andromeda ran her hand across her body shivering at the contact of her cold hand across her warm flesh, and reached behind to unstrap her bra. She liked the shape and size of her supple breasts, they had always been a solid C cup and they were just the perfect size. Not too big, not to small. She reached down and removed her panties and admired her nude form. Damn, she thought to herself, I look good!

Andromeda reached across to the bed, picked up her faded nightgown and pulled it on over her head. Tomorrow was going to be a big day and she needed all of the rest she could get for the emotions that she was going to have to deal with, especially going back to the castle.

* * *

><p>Harry Potter woke early on Sunday morning. He was still doing his utmost best to avoid seeing people, he was sick of being pestered. Why couldn't people just leave him alone? He just wanted to be Harry, whoever that was…<p>

Harry walked into the Great Hall and the smell of bacon and eggs proceeded to fill his nostrils, making his stomach growl in anticipation. He walked over to the Gryffindor table and sat down, grabbing a plate and filling it with a little bit of everything that lined the table. Today was the day that he was going to get to see Teddy! He was extremely excited and couldn't wait to spend some time with his godson.

A voice interfered with the shuffling of food into his mouth, he turned around to see who was attempting to talk to him although he had no idea what they had actually said. Arthur Weasley sat next to Harry greeting him and gave him an admiring look.

"Bill explained to us what happened recently. Both with Ginny and at Gringott's. I want to tell you first off that your gift is far too generous but Bill said that you refuse to let us give it back so, Molly and I would like to express our thanks and our appreciation. Secondly, I know that what you said to Ginny was hard for both of you, especially on her but after everything that you've been through I agree that you need a break. You need to heal and establish yourself, become the person that you want to be. Not the person that society is trying so hard to make you. Molly and I are extremely proud of you Harry and no matter the circumstances, we will always consider you as one of our sons."

Arthur cleared his throat before continuing, "We are going to bury Fred Thursday at the Burrow. We would like you to join us as part of the family. I know that it may be difficult being around Ginny but we feel like you need to be there. You are just as much a part of our family and you deserve to see him lain to rest. You are also invited to stay at the Burrow for as long as you need until you decide to do whatever, return to school, attend Auror School or join a professional Quidditch team."

"Thank you," Harry whispered as he wiped tears from his eyes. He had always thought of Arthur as a father and hearing Arthur say what he just said made Harry feel like there was hope after all. "It is going to be hard but I will stay until the funeral, I have a couple other funerals to attend and then I am going to be gone for a while. I need to find myself and I am sorry but I just can't do that at the Burrow. I promise that I will let you and Molly know where I am and I will let you come visit periodically until I figure out everything that I need too."

Arthur nodded in understanding before standing up and patting Harry on the shoulder. He bent down and gave Harry a hug before walking back out of the Great Hall to find Molly and tell her the news.

* * *

><p>Wandering seemed to be what Harry had become rather adept at nowadays. Pacing through Hogwarts or out on the school grounds but rarely in the company of another person. McGonagall watched Harry walk across the grounds and shook her head sadly. "It is going to be a long road for you Harry but I believe in you and I will always be here to lend a helping hand," she said to an empty room. It was a promise, not only to herself but to those who had come before her; Lily and James, Sirius, Albus, Remus, Nymphadora, Professor Snape and so many others…<p>

Harry had escaped from the castle before numerous people woke for the day. The conversation with Arthur had shaken him and he was glad that there was understanding coming from the man who he thought of as such a prominent father figure in his life. He knew what he needed to do but how was he going to do it? How was he supposed to figure out who he was if he had no idea where to start?

Meandering from one end to the end through the rubble of the Quidditch Pitch, Harry debated on where to start. If he completely left behind everything would he be able to survive? What would become of his relationship with Teddy? He made a promise to himself and he knew that he needed to keep it.

Harry decided to wait and hear what Andromeda wished to speak with him about before coming up with a solution on how to disappear from the public view and how to still maintain adequate time with Teddy. He thought about everything that had happened to him and did his best to attempt to think ahead to the future. What did he want to do with his life?

I know so little about my parents, so little about Sirius, so little about Remus and so little about Albus… How am I supposed to know who I am without first finding out where I came from? He thought. There were two ways to get the information that he needed. One source was hopefully buried in his Gringott's Vault. A second source was Minerva, she was probably the only living person that was close to Dumbledore while he was alive. He was going to have to have a talk with her sometime soon. Another source was the woman who was bringing Teddy to visit him today. Harry needed Andromeda's knowledge, he submitted to the fact that in order to move forward he was going to need her help.

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><p>Andromeda strode up to Hogwarts carrying a wailing Teddy in her arms. Today was another one of those days and she was worried that her patience was going to wear out soon. She needed a break, she needed time for herself to attempt to mend all that had been lost and to control the feelings of emptiness that were consuming her soul. Her hair was frizzy and blew in the wind wildly giving off a very unkempt appearance which she definitely did not appreciate.<p>

The front door to the castle opened and Harry rushed out to help Andromeda, asking if he could hold Teddy and reaching out his other arm to steady her balance in between the gusts of wind. Harry placed his hand on the small of her back and guided her to the castle holding Teddy carefully in the other arm, cradling him just the way that he had been taught by Mrs. Weasley.

Andromeda felt the warmth of Harry's hand spreading across her flesh and there was something happening inside of her that she just couldn't recognize. It had been so long since anyone had been allowed to touch her, she had always kept and maintained her composure even in the most difficult of circumstances but she just couldn't understand what was happening. As they entered through the front door and Harry removed his hand, Andromeda felt a loss that she was not able to explain.

They made their way through the castle and Harry guided Andromeda through the vast array of staircases and up to Gryffindor Tower. Harry held Teddy while she got everything situated and dropped all of the luggage off at the room that had been made up for herself and little Teddy.

Harry sat holding a now content Teddy in his arms, Teddy's hair had changed and now matched the black raven colored hair of the man who held him. Harry watched Teddy adoringly, seemingly oblivious to the world that surrounded him. The feeling that Harry was consumed with while holding Teddy in his arms was something that he had never experienced yet, the familiarity itself was to a certain degree something that just came so natural to him, nobody would have been able to tell that he was new at holding a baby.

Andromeda watched Harry closely as he held Teddy. It had been years since she had seen a man take such an interest in a toddler, it was something gave her comfort and in a way it helped Harry earn a little more of Andromeda's respect.

"Andromeda, dear, why don't you go rest for a little bit?" Molly Weasley said as she suddenly appeared next to the chair that Andromeda was sitting in. "Harry and I will watch little Teddy for a couple of hours. Rest, you need it."

Andromeda gave Molly a reproachful look before gazing back at Harry and Teddy, "I think I will. Thank you, Molly."

As Andromeda climbed the stairs for a well needed nap, Molly moved closer to where Harry was sitting with Teddy. She could hear barely hear what Harry was whispering to Teddy but she was able to get the main gist of what was being said. Harry was doing his best to help Teddy understand that although his parents were gone that he would always be there for the young child and although Teddy couldn't understand the words there was a conscious acknowledgement and Teddy was seen smiling at Harry while grasping his finger.

Molly watched Harry and was proud of the man sitting there. He had overcome so much yet there were still so many difficulties in his life, how was she just supposed to stand there and watch him falter with his identity when people in her family could recognize the man whom Harry was. When she could recognize Harry, his potential and his determination in bettering society it was difficult for her to stand back and watch when all she wanted to do was comfort him and be a mother.

She quietly approached Harry and took the seat opposite him. Teddy had finally fallen asleep in Harry's arms and there was a peaceful smile stretching across his tiny face, his small hand still wrapped around Harry's finger. Harry looked up at Molly and smiled (Molly could see the strain plastered on his face, the pretense of being happy were having a very negative effect on Harry's well being).

"Arthur told me about your conversation this morning and I just want you to know that we all love you and you will always be a part of our family, my surrogate son. We are all so proud of you and I know that you are hurting, I can see it written on your face. If you ever need anything, please don't hesitate to let me know. I will always be here for you Harry, as will our family because that is what a family does."

"I don't remember much about my mother," Harry started quietly, "but, I am sure that she is happy that I am able to have such an amazing woman take on a motherly role in my life. It means so much to me that you are Arthur are here for me and it makes all the difference. But, I need to discover who I am and who I wish to become on my own. I hope that you understand."

Tears flew freely down Molly's face, there was a heartbreaking feeling when a mother knew that the only thing that she could do for one of her own was to reinforce the fact that she was there for him. It was a personal struggle and one that she understood quite well.

* * *

><p>"How many did you manage to find?" said the high pitched voice as she turned to converse with the man standing to her left.<p>

"Not many," replied the man, "I have found four that will come to our aid and support our cause but I am wary as to if they can be trusted."

"Let me deal with the logistics of the operation," she exclaimed, "do your job! Bring them to me!"

The man skulked out of the darkened room, glad to fulfill the woman's bidding. He walked through the decrepit hovel of a house that they had managed to get their hands on and ardently portrayed his disgust by muttering to himself intangible words that seemed to contain mostly words of loathing for being in a, "filthy, broken-down, dark, dank, mold ensuing household."

He walked into a room and motioned for the four people that were currently sitting to follow him. Without waiting to make sure that they were following him, he made his way back to the woman in the sitting room.

Two men and two women walked into the darkened room and quickly rushed to take their places in front of the woman who had given command. They looked upon her and hurriedly decided that she was not a woman to be trifled with.

"You are here at my behest," said the woman, "I would like to know everything that you know of Harry Potter. I want to know who he spends his time with, what his interests are and what his weaknesses are. If you can't get me this information, find me someone that can. You have three weeks. We will meet back here, bring all of the information that you can get your hands on. Then we can organize a plan to make him suffer the way that he has made all of us suffer. Payback can be hell and he will find that out soon enough!"


	7. The Mentor & Fred's Funeral

**Warning: **This chapter contains mature themes, and sexual situations. Thus, the reason for the M rating. If you don't want to read something or find it offensive, please just skip over the area of the chapter that I have marked…

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><p><strong>Chapter 7: The Mentor &amp; Fred's Funeral<strong>

The week started rather slowly in Harry's opinion. He spent most of his time avoiding people that were blatantly calling out to him in the hope of speaking with "The Famous Harry Potter." Harry had used every skill that he remembered to avoid detection yet the onslaught of well-wishers just couldn't understand that he wanted to be left alone.

Harry knew that this was going to be a busy weekend. He was heading to the Burrow tomorrow to prepare for Fred's funeral on Thursday, then he was off on Friday to attend Colin Creevey's funeral, Saturday was dedicated solely to Remus and Tonks, and the final funeral that he would be attending was Severus Snape's.

He was still doing his best to avoid being alone with Ginny but it wasn't really that hard for him because it seemed like Ginny had the same agenda where he was concerned. Harry hoped that one day she would be able to forgive him and move on, be happy and the strong woman that he knew she could become, just like Molly.

Tuesday night found Harry wandering the passageways of Hogwarts attempting to remember every single memory that he had made within these walls. Harry loved Hogwarts, it was his first home and it held a special place in his heart. He also loved Hermione and Ron but he knew that things had changed, that they all had changed. They were no longer a cohesive unit, "The Golden Trio" as some called them, they were separated Harry and Ron/Hermione.

Harry was happy for his friends, they were able to help each other through the hard times that the Trio had endured and in a way, he was envious. Envious of finding the person that would always be there for you and could help you when you didn't even know that you needed it. Harry climbed to the top of the Astronomy Tower and sat on the balcony, overlooking the grounds and admiring the beauty of the life surrounding the castle.

A deep breath escaped from his lips as he sat there contemplating his life and everything he had dealt with. Being hunted by Voldemort for so long had become entrenched into his being and without it, Harry had no idea who he was anymore. This burden made him long for a sense of purpose and in reality, he honestly had no idea what to do or how to even approach the topic of figuring it out.

"I thought that I would find you up here," Headmistress McGonagall said. Harry was startled out of his reverie and turned to pay attention to her, respect and admiration apparent on his face as he smiled at her.

"You're probably the only person who cares where I have been off too lately. Well-wishers don't really care, they just want to say that they have met "The Great Harry Potter" and the Weasley's are all consumed by grief over Fred. Ron and Hermione have become attached at the hip and I… I just need to figure out who I am and what will become of me I guess…" Harry's voice trailed off into a stony silence.

"Harry, I once made a promise that I would help you become an Auror if that is what you wished to do. Now, I know that there is far more important things going on in your head and there are things that only time will heal. If you ever need anything, please let me know. I will always be here to help you Harry. I keep my promises."

"Professor McGonagall, will you please tell me about my family? All that people tell me is that I look like my father and that I have my mother's eyes… What were they like? And Sirius and Remus… and Dumbledore?" Harry's eyes pleaded to his Headmistress.

"First off Harry, call me Minerva. You have already surpassed the age of calling me your Headmistress or your Professor, now if you will allow it I would be thrilled to be considered your mentor… That is, if you are interested."

Harry quickly jumped off of the balcony that he sat on and eagerly walked up to Minerva, consuming her in a lovingly yet tight hug. "I would love that… Minerva."

She smiled and walked over to the balcony where Harry had been sitting mere moments before and preceded to sit and beckoned for Harry to come and join her. Minerva started off by telling Harry of when his parents were in school and a couple of the adventures of the Marauders, keeping them both up on the Astronomy Tower late into the night.

Harry and Minerva walked back to the Gryffindor tower both filled with mirth. Although it was extremely late, they were both overjoyed at the stories that Minerva had been telling Harry about his parents and their friends. The wrinkle lines on Minerva's face were very distinct to someone who would have been paying attention but they didn't run into anybody in the halls.

"I look forward to hearing more," said Harry. "Thank you so much for everything Minerva, it means so much to me and I hope that it helps you as much as it does me. We will definitely have to do this again sometime!"

Minerva smiled as she watched Harry climb through the portrait hole into Gryffindor Tower. She shook her head, turned to walk down to her office and realized that it was definitely helpful to talk about the people that she missed so much, maybe even a little therapeutic.

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><p>********************* If you want to skip the sexual content, do not read this section, skip until you see where I tell you to continue***********************<p>

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><p>"Wake up, Harry" Ron said as he shook Harry awake before handing him his glasses. "We are heading to the Burrow in the next hour and mom sent me up here to make sure that you were ready. It's a good thing too, she would have been outraged if we were not all ready to go."<p>

"I'll be down in a couple of minutes, I just need to jump in the shower. I'll see you downstairs," Harry said as he grabbed some clothes out of his dresser and turned around beginning to make his way to the bathroom.

Harry walked into the bathroom and stood staring at his reflection. He smiled to himself, remembering the stories that Minerva had told him the night before and looking forward to hearing more tales of his parents and their friends. Harry sighed, worried about the tension that would be at the Burrow but accepted that it would only be for two days or so.

He strode over to the shower and turned it on using his hand to gauge the temperature of the water before stripping down and bounding into the warm water. Harry started by washing his unruly and unkempt hair then worked his way down his lean torso. He washed his legs, his groin and his backside, then just stood enjoying the feeling of the water caressing his naked body.

Harry was very stressed about everything that was happening in his life and he needed release. He had discovered a few years before the enjoyment that he could create for himself by masturbating and although he enjoyed it immensely, he was a little too busy fearing for his life to be concerned with sexual tension and release. But now, it appeared to be the only way to release the tension that was building in his body and he craved it.

He had slowly started stroking himself, feeling his shaft harden in his hand as he grew excited, thinking about what it would feel like to be with a woman. Harry had never had sex before and had really only kissed two girls, he had felt the curves of Ginny's body but that was as far as he had ever gotten.

Harry thought about what it would feel like to thrust into a woman, what it would feel like to caress a woman's body with his fingertips, and what her skin would taste like on the tip of his tongue. As his thoughts went deeper and deeper into what he wished he could be doing to a woman, he felt his body stiffening and ultimately he felt release.

* * *

><p>********************* If you skipped the sexual content, continue reading here***********************<p>

* * *

><p>Harry walked down the staircase and was greeted by the Weasley family, well almost all of the Weasley's. He saw that Ginny still refused to look at him and it really hurt him but he knew that he had made the right decision and he was going to stand by it.<p>

"Are we all ready to go?" said Arthur.

The group collaboratively said, "Yes" and they all departed Gryffindor Tower and made their way out of the castle and down the grounds to the castle gate before disapperating and standing in front of the Burrow.

The Burrow had definitely seen better days. It appeared that the Death Eater's had visited the Burrow in an attempt to find Harry, Ron and Hermione's whereabouts the previous year and had wreaked havoc on the structure before them. Bill, Charlie, Percy and Arthur had returned daily over the previous week to get the Burrow ward's back into place and to help fix the Burrow back to its former glory.

The group slowly walked into the sitting room of the Burrow, taking in the damage that was still able to be seen and wondering what exactly had happened. There was a quiet contemplative air permeating the room and the only thing that could be heard were the sobs of Molly and Ginny doing her best to comfort her mother.

The silence became increasingly more awkward as the group began to slowly disband. Bill, Charlie and Percy slowly walked outside and Harry could see them beginning to clean the yard of the Burrow. Arthur grasped Molly's hand and led her upstairs to rest. Harry turned his head and saw Ron and Hermione starting to climb the steps up to Ron's old room. The only people that were left in the room were Ginny, George and Harry now.

"I think I will go see if Bill, Charlie and Percy need any help out in the yard," Harry said to no one in particular. George definitely wasn't paying attention to what anyone else was doing, he had a very far off look upon his face and Harry really hoped that one day he would be okay, back to his entertaining self. Ginny just fixed him with a very angry glare and watched him walk out of the front door.

"Hey guys, need any help?" Harry offered.

The three brothers stopped to look up at Harry just long enough for him to realize that they had been having a rather deep conversation and it appeared by the way that they were looking at him that it was in all probability about him. Bill nodded as Harry approached and the others simply kept stone cold facial expressions. "Did I do something to upset you guys? I can tell something is up… What's going on?

"You hurt our little sister!" Charlie and Percy said in unison. Charlie continued, "Just because you saved the Wizarding World doesn't give you the right to treat people like they don't matter… I can't believe that you broke up with her again!"

Bill cleared his throat before he said, "If you two would have let me FINISH what I was telling you, I was just about to finish the rest of my story… But apparently, it's perfectly acceptable to be outrageous and spiteful when you don't have the full story. I guess you don't want me to finish, do you?"

Charlie and Percy looked at Bill uneasily. Neither wished to stand up to Bill, they both had been on the receiving end of Bill's spells and neither wished for a repeat experience. Once was definitely enough. Percy coughed out an answer, attempting to contain his outrage at the way his brother was speaking to them, "Fine! Finish your story and then we'll decide what to do with HIM," he spat.

"Harry told Ginny that neither of them was ready for a serious relationship, they both needed time to heal after everything that they have both been through. Harry didn't even expect to live. Could you honestly say that if you were in his position you would jump into a relationship after you've just lost your entire reason for living? His life was spent defending the world from Voldemort and now that he has, he needs a break. He needs to figure out how to live. Can you tell me that you both wish terrible things for the person that just saved all of us?"

Charlie's face calmed back to a relatively normal shade, that is for a Weasley and he quietly walked up to Harry. He gave Harry a curious look and offered him his hand. Harry shook it. "I am sorry Harry, it's just hard with everything the family is going through right now… Fred… and Ginny's reaction to everything especially about you… It's just terrible timing and I reacted awfully. I hope that you'll be able to forgive me."

"Don't worry about it Charlie. I understand all of the Weasley's brother's reaction to finding out that someone hurt their sister, I kind of came to expect some sort of backlash I guess. I really am sorry for hurting her but I believe that we need some time to adjust before throwing ourselves into something that can have such an astounding impact on both of our futures." Harry finished.

Percy however was not swayed by Bill's story and continued to appear as pompous as usual. There was absolutely no sign of him approaching Harry or even attempting to say anything. He just continued to give Harry a glance of indifference before Bill and Charlie both turned to him.

"Earth to Percy!" Bill and Charlie said together.

"Percy… I am only going to say this once and you better listen," Bill said seriously, "Harry saved all of us. He saved every chance that each and every one of us has at attempting to have a happy and normal life. You just came back to the family and we're already having a hard time trying to forgive you but Harry never left. He never said the terrible things that you have about our family and if you have any sense, any at all you are going to do your utmost to apologize to him. Otherwise, attempting to work your way back into this family's good graces is going to be rather difficult!"

A variety of emotions fluttered across Percy's face before he made his decision. "Fine," he said to Bill. He slowly approached Harry and stuck out his hand, "I am sorry for my earlier behavior, I don't know what to say to you. After all that I've done and all that I've said about you… Will you ever be able to forgive me?"

Harry thought long and hard before he answered Percy. "Percy, I know that I have never been one of your favorite people and I have been constantly insulted by you and those you were so ardently standing next to when Voldemort returned. I don't know if I will ever be able to forgive you but in all honestly for the good of the family, I will try." Harry hung his head as he slowly walked away from the three brothers, maybe a little solitude would help him pull himself back together.

* * *

><p>Wednesday went by extremely slowly for Harry. He did his best to avoid the Weasley's as they prepared for Fred's funeral. He saw different members of the family throughout the day but everybody was lost in their own reverie and there was really nothing that he could do to make the air of depression that flowed freely throughout the Burrow dissipate.<p>

Harry went to be early Wednesday and hoped that he could hold himself together for Fred's funeral tomorrow.

He descended the stairs and upon reaching the kitchen table looked up with a very solemn face into Molly Weasley's face. It was obvious that she hadn't slept very much, if at all over the night and there was a look on her face that Harry couldn't describe even if he would have tried too.

Harry just walked around the table and gave Molly the biggest hug that he could muster. "I am so sorry about Fred, Mrs. Weasley. Is there anything that I can do to help today?"

"Could you please go help the boys set up the seats outside? There are supposed to be about 50 people showing up in the next two to three hours. Thank you, Harry." Molly said as she turned her attention to the window.

Harry walked outside and along the path that had been set up the day before to the orchard overlooking the Burrow. All of the male Weasley's were setting up chairs and Harry joined them making sure to still be near the crowd but far enough away to maintain an acceptable distance.

Finally the time was upon them, people started showing up, walking up the hill and taking places in the newly set up chairs. Hermione walked up to Harry and slipped her hand into his, "The family is all sitting in the front row, come on, you can sit next to me. That way, it won't be as tense."

After taking his seat next to Hermione, Harry focused on everything that he could remember about Fred. He didn't know if he was supposed to say anything or if he was just supposed to sit here and commemorate the ideals that Fred had fought so valiantly for. As the minister presiding over the burial took his place, Harry got lost in his own thoughts.

It seemed like an eternity before the people started standing up and abandoning the chairs. Harry followed the crowd down to a row of tents that had been set up, similarly to Bill and Fleur's wedding, and took a seat at the furthermost right table before attempting to go unnoticed.

Harry heard person after person get up to tell stories about how Fred had made an impact on their life. He was on the verge of tears and didn't know how much longer he could handle everything. It seemed like the walls were closing in on him and he was fighting to catch his breath, he was overwhelmed and had no idea how he could handle it. He glanced around the room and saw the couples laughing and sitting together hand in hand.

Harry was surrounded by people that were happy and had figured out a way to attempt to move on past all of the terrible things that had happened in the last 8 years or so. He didn't understand how they could be happy but then again, they had never and will hopefully never have to go through the things that he did. With a sad last glance back to his best friends, Harry walked out of the tent and disappeared.


End file.
